The Argentine striker had joined the Welsh side for a reported £15 million ($19.3 million) from French side Nantes and was heading to Wales after saying farewell to his former teammates.

Cardiff City Manager Neil Warnock was in attendance at the funeral.

Sala began his football career at San Martin de Progreso before leaving to forge a professional career at 15.

The club posted a message on social media, writing: "We are waiting for you ... like the first day you left but this time to stay with us forever. You went and you are an example for everyone. Eternally in our hearts."

Sala and the 59-year-old Ibbotson were flying in the single-turbine aircraft from Nantes, northern France, to the Welsh capital of Cardiff, when it disappeared from radar near the Channel Islands on January 21.

Ibbotson is presumed dead, though his body has not yet been recovered.